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Friday, May 1, 2015

Dec-10-2014: First-Time K-Hound Clyde Butt

It
was Wednesday, December 10, 2014 when my riding partner Patty
Dougherty, RUSA #4060 and I set out on our 6th Populaire since October
23rd. We chose John Guzic's Baylands 101 - a nice easy meandering ride
along the San Francisco South Bay Wetlands. About 2/3rds of the way into
the ride, as we made our way through Fremont and the last 33k of the
course, it occurred to me that my kilometer odometer for 2014 just
turned 5 numbers and I was about to earn my first K-Hound Award!

Confession:
I did not set a 2014 goal for K-Hound. I was focused on other goals
(Can-Am Challenge and American Randonneur Challenge). However, thanks to
Dan Driscoll for noticing that I was in the running for K-Hound and
challenging me to "get 'er done!"

When
I talked it over with Patty one day as we were riding, she did some
quick math in her head and by the end of the day, we had a plan to ride
one Populaire a week to help reach the new goal. With the Davis Dart in
November and Uvas Gold 200 in December already on my calendar, and our
new Populaire plan, I was refocused.

What
makes this journey special to me? Knowing that countless numbers of
volunteers sacrificed their time and effort to put on the many brevets,
grande randonnuers, darts, and fleches throughout the year that allowed
me to reach the goal. I am grateful for all of them and the permanent
owners that provided nearby routes.

Last
but not least, I am grateful to Patty for her planning and commitment
to ride the Populaires with me. Patty was on a 4-year hiatus from
randonneuring but riding the pops got her back into it; making this
K-Hound Award that much more special to me!

Clyde Butt

"Do everything you were meant to do [in life] and do it in a timely manner.” – H. Douglas Butt, R.I.P.